The Rest of December's Reading

The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff

A Dickensian tale of two little sisters who run away from an orphanage, only to find themselves hungry and homeless at Christmas time. A boy familiar with life on the streets helps them survive until better things come along. Full of good feeling, with the requisite Christmas story happy ending, it will make a nice addition to anyone's Christmas reading. This one, too, is available to listen or download at gutenberg.com.

One More For Christmas by Sarah Morgan

 

I did a lot of light reading in December, with this one being my least favourite. Not that it was awful or anything, I just felt like I'd met with this storyline before, maybe a few times. It's about 2 sisters and their estranged mother who end up spending Christmas together at an estate in the Scottish Highlands. Of course there's a handsome stranger running the estate, so you can see where this is going already. It might be predictable, but it's charming in its own way. Festive, and with happy endings for all, it would work as a Hallmark Christmas movie. 

Christmas at Lock Keepers Cottage by Lucy Coleman

A young woman who was raised by her grandfather in an English seaside village helps out at the marina where Christmas cruises are offered at the holiday season. This book has romance, intrigue, humour, and enough charm to satisfy anyone looking for a light, but not too fluffy, Christmas read. Quite enjoyable.  

The Christmas Wishing Tree by Emily March

Jenna and her son, Riley, harassed by a stalker, set out on the road to live a nomadic lifestyle in an old RV, hoping to rid themselves of their pursuer for good. They spend a few days in a small town and through a series of events become involved in the lives of the people there. As in most contemporary Christmas novels, the romance is the main story line, but there is more going on here to make this book interesting. I listened to the audio version and again was surprised at what a difference the narrator makes in how I process the story. I didn't enjoy this narrator, even thinking I might not finish it at one point, but the characters became important enough to me that I wanted to see how they would fare and that kept me going. All in all, I liked it.